It has become very popular in today's ecological movement to have live plants in and around homes. Many plants are purchased from nursery and flower shops and are replanted in inexpensive hanging planters. Usually, the hanging planters are hung from wall brackets, or a ceiling inside the house, porch or patio. Many nurseries insist that they use the least expensive planter that is adequate to accomplish the necessary growth.
Presently, the only relatively inexpensive hanging planters in common use are those that have been made by injection molding as contrasted to the expensive decorative show pieces made of ceramic or pottery which is usually vitrified. Injection molded planters are usually made from rigid polystyrene or polyolefins of relatively low molecular weight and tend to crack or shatter easily, and are incapable of withstanding prolonged exposure to ultraviolet light.
Generally the injection molded planter has a bowl with drain holes at the base with some provision made for releasably attaching an injected molded saucer to serve as a reservoir to catch water in the event excess water is furnished to the plant. The separate saucer is either shaped to the base or held in some other suitable manner. Many inexpensive injection molded planters are designed to be nested for ease of shipment and storage with the saucer attached. Relatively inexpensive wire hangers are provided for attaching or hanging the planter after potting.
It is an objective of the present invention to provide a less expensive and unique blow molded plastic planter which may be hung but has all of the advantages of more costly planters and one that is made from high density, high molecular weight polyethylene that is virtually unbreakable and is stabilized against ultraviolet degradation.
Another objective of this invention is to provide a planter with a reservoir at the base of the integral construction in which openings are provided in the base adjacent to the reservoir for evaporation of excess water from the reservoir and access of oxygen to the bottom of the potting medium.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a planter with reservoir that may be readily hung or suspended and in which there is an intermediate partition between the potting medium and a water reservoir with openings at spaced intervals communicating with the reservoir permitting evaporation of excess water and access of oxygen.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a combination planter and reservoir in which there is a tapered outer surface and openings spaced from the base of the planter in the portion of the reservoir enabling any water that overflows to run down the exterior wall of the planter and enter the openings exposed to the reservoir.
Still another objective of this invention is to provide means for releasably supporting a potting medium support in the planter and in which the potting medium support member provides a "wicking" action from the planter reservoir beneath the partition to the potting medium above the partition.
Still another objective is to provide a lightweight but structurally sound intergral planter bowl and reservoir in which the top of the bowl has a greater wall thickness for increased strength and the provision of a series of strenghening ribs at selected portions of the planter providing additional stiffness for the weighted planter for hanging support.
Yet another objective of this invention is to provide lightweight and structurally sound planters that may be nested for shipping and storage that are shatterproof and that will resist ultraviolet degradation.
Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this novel planter and reservoir will be come more readily apparent from the accompanying drawing and a detailed description thereof: